Sexual politics in the global disorder of 2025
This is our second and latest bulletin of 2025. It offers a broad overview of events and trends in gender, sexuality, and abortion policy throughout the year to complement the analysis developed in July that addressed the policies implemented by the Trump’s second administration and the US landscape.
Global Gag Rule expanded by Trump’s administration: explanatory summary
On January 22, Trump’s administrarion announced it was suspending the funding for foreign organizations that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. SPW summarized the main changes, which expand the restrictions set by the Mexico City Policy and will have many ramifications. Check it out below:
Regional and global effects of the US attack on Venezuela: compilation
Since we released our second 2025 bulletin, last December, the world has gotten worse. What happened in Venezuela on January 3, with the capture of Nicolás Maduro by US military forces in Caracas and his imprisonment on US territory, has radically altered the world order, with effects far beyond Latin America.
VIDEOS: Inhabiting the Crack: strategies of resistance in the face of authoritarianisms
The Diálogos Pendientes y Emergentes (Pending and Emerging Dialogues) space is a joint initiative of five organizations working on gender, sexuality, and reproductive justice issues in Latin America: the Sexuality and Politics Watch (SPW), Akahatá, Promsex, Puentes, and Synergia.
Quantico 2025 military meeting: compilation
Patton for Dummies – The Dispatch The Nuremberg Clown Rally – Discourse Blog Pete Hegseth’s “Warrior Ethos” Is Just the Closet in Camouflage – Them
SPW Activities and Products in 2025
Throughout 2025, SPW participated in several national and international events and, together with new and old partners, promoted debates and launched new publications.
The new world disorder – Meanings and impacts of Trump 2.0 – condensed vídeos
On June 17th, SPW hosted, as part of the Pending and Emerging Dialogues project, the debate The new world disorder: meanings and impacts of Trump 2.0, with the participation of Heidi Beirich (GPAHE – focus on Project 2025) and Paisley Currah (Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies, expert on trans rights).
Éric Fassin on the specter of a new McCarthyism: “Democracy is collapsing like a house of cards”
Question: Two weeks ago, we witnessed a new and fierce attack on academic freedom in the United States. The University of Berkeley that is considered
180 days of destruction, sadism, and global disorder
In June 2019, we published a special issue on the first 180 days of the Bolsonaro administration. Six years later, we take on the challenge
Hungary resistance: LGBTQIA+ pride in 2025
Photo: Rudolf Karancsi/AP Hungary Banned Pride Events. Thousands Marched Anyway. – Mother Jones Budapest Pride draws huge crowds in defiance of Orban legal threats –
Doge cuts’ fallout: democracy; independent media; and sexual and reproductive rights
Democracy promotion The emotional fallout of mass USAID and NGO layoffs – Devex What cutting USAID could cost the U.S. — and how China, Russia
Abortion politics and setbacks under Trump 2.0: compilation
Trump’s First 100 Days: 5 Attacks on Reproductive Rights You Might Have Missed – Center for Reproductive Rights The Supreme Court Just Made It Easier
Trump’s attack on universities: compilation
Image: Wikipedia President Trump’s war on higher education – NPR Trump Has Targeted These Universities. Why? – NY Times Inside Trump’s Pressure Campaign on Universities
Trump’s 180 days in office: a compilation on antimigration actions and fallout
Analysis The Constitutional Crisis Is Here – Atlantic How Trump’s immigration policies compare to those of America’s past – Berkeley News We Study Repression in
Trump’s 180 days in office: a compilation on anti-multilateralism drive
Analysis The Targeted Chaos of Trump’s Attacks Against International Human Rights Law and Justice – American Civil Liberties Union What do the Trump administration’s sanctions
Trump’s 180 days in office: a compilation on anti-gender anti-DEI actions and fallout
Analysis The Anti-Trans Executive Orders – Signs Journal The Human Toll of Trump’s Anti-Trans Crusade – American Civil Liberties Union Trump on DEI And Anti-Discrimination
Trump’s 180 days in office: a compilation on tariffs-fueled trade war
The ridiculous real story behind the tariff plan that turned Donald Trump into a global disaster – Rachel Maddow Show The Trump Tariffs Just Got

Trump’s 180 days in office: a compilation on dismantling deepstate and defunding government bodies
Analysis DOGE Has Achieved Its Final Form – Wired What Did Elon Musk Accomplish at DOGE? – New Yorker DOGE Is Busier Than Ever—and Trump

Far-right summits push: compilation
European CPACs show the growing unity of the global far-right – NPR Foro Madrid and the Transnationalization of the Far-Right – Cambridge University Press Orban,
Trump’s 180 days in office: domestic resistance and anti far-right global defiance
Image: Getty Image USA There Was a Record 5 to 6 Million People Who Took to the Streets to Stop Trump on Saturday! — And
Reading The “Politics of Gender” in March 2025 – by Susana Fried
To mark the launch of SPW’s new website, we invited some long-term partners to explore our archive and select a piece of content (a publication,
Reading “Re-Trumped” – by Françoise Girard
To mark the launch of SPW’s new website, we invited some long-term partners to explore our archive and select a piece of content (a publication,
Trump is unleashing sadism upon the world. But we cannot get overwhelmed
By Judith ButlerPublished at The Guardian As Trump delivers a series of devastating and appalling executive orders and public pronouncements every day, it has never been
Notes on the webinar “Democracies in Dispute: Latin America”
In 2024, more than 60 countries will have elections at different levels of government1. The disputes will not only be electoral, but also about the
Notes on the webinar “Democracies in Dispute: The United States”
In 2024, more than 60 countries will have elections at different levels of government. The contests will not only be electoral, but also about the
“Retrumped”? – Donald is back in the White House
When Trump was elected for the first time, in 2016, we published a compilation of articles that predominantly analyzed the astonishment that the election result
Sexual politics from July to October 2024
Introduction Once again, our newsletter brings you news and analysis about the current times, which are more somber than bright: authoritarian trends, the continued expansion

Bangladesh 2024 political crisis: compilation
Misinformation campaigns and the future of Bangladesh-India relations – The Daily Star Hasina fled Bangladesh, leaving behind a ‘beaten’ Indian security establishment – Nenews Cannot
Sexual politics from January to June 2024 (Part 1)
>> Read in PDF << Part 1 – Democracies in dispute Introduction As we have pointed out in previous editions, in recent years sexual politics

US november election forecast: an authocracy in sight? – compilation
English If Trump Wins – NY Times Why Trump’s Second Victory Would Be Worse – The Nation The Theocratic Blueprint for Trump’s Next Term –

India’s election and Modi’s shaken authocracy project: compilation (English, Portuguese and Spanish)
English Post-election A Non-BJP Government Will Be Unstable, But It is Our Only Hope to Save the Constitution – The Wire To Deal With His

India general election: compilation (English and Portuguese)
EnglishModi’s Power Keeps Growing, and India Looks Sure to Give Him More – NY Times Simultaneous Elections Will Be a Blow to India’s Popular Sovereignty

Senegal: postponed election, democracy under threat and outcomes – compilation
Senegal elections: President-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye to lead with ‘humility’ – BBC Senegal election: Voters choose new president after political crisis – BBC Election Delay

Ukraine war: 100 days – compilation (English and Portuguese)
English 100 Days of War: Death, Destruction and Loss – NY Times Ukraine round-up: 100 days of war and some Russians refuse to fight –

Republicans against Trump: compilation
Is Trump’s power over Republicans starting to slip? – BBC All the Republicans Who Won’t Support Trump – NY Times A Prominent Anti-Trump Republican Says

Nazi Hippies: When the New Age and Far Right Overlap
Last week’s rallies in London, Berlin, and Los Angeles against lockdown measures attracted both New Agers and far-right groups. We’ve seen before this overlap between the spiritual
QAnon compilation: from surge to Capitol invasion
Title Vehicle / Author Pedophilia – more of the same? SPW Monsters Under The Bed SPW How Covid-19 myths are merging with the QAnon conspiracy

American 2020 elections: compilation of analysis
The 2020 US presidential election in data: how Joe Biden won – New Statesman How Homegrown Disinformation Could Disrupt This U.S. Election – NY Times

COVID-19 and contradictory contestations: anti-lockdown protests
Berlin protests against coronavirus rules divide German leaders – The Guardian Neonazistas, conspiracionistas e antivacinas marcham an Alemanha pelo fim do isolamento – El País

Bolsonaro’s Brazil Falls Behind on COVID-19 Vaccine Race
Brazil Hits 7 Million Cases With Infections Picking Up Speed – Bloomberg Brazil’s president rejects COVID-19 vaccine, undermining a century of progress toward universal inoculation

COVID-19: Re-Capturing Concept of Syndemic
Offline: COVID-19 is not a pandemic – The Lancet The COVID-19 syndemic is not global: context matter – The Lancet One stillbirth every 16 seconds,

US Supreme Court Succession: what’s at stake and comes next after RBG?
Majority says winner of presidential election should nominate next Supreme Court justice, Post-ABC poll finds – Washington Post Trump’s Selection of Amy Coney Barrett for
Regional Research and Brazil Case: Local Devolution
July, 2019 Isabela Kalil: Políticas de direita criam ‘Bolsonaro protetor de mulheres’, diz estudiosa – Universa Isabela Kalil: ‘O bolsonarismo é maior que Bolsonaro’: projeto
Paradoxes and dangers of anti-lockdown protests
A summary of the article “Corona protests: The cross front for trivialization” authored by Nils Markwardt and published at Die Zeit in May 2020. By
COVID-19 and Politics: De-democratization and Authoritarianism
EUROPE Crisis and Resistance at the Periphery: Bosnian responses to COVID -19 – Critical Legal Thinking Coronavirus: Hungary bid to end emergency powers ‘an optical
#NoTenemosMinistra: The crisis in Chile’s Ministry of Women and Gender Equality
By Bárbara Sepúlveda Hales & Lieta Vivaldi Macho The recent appointment of the new Minister of Women and Gender Equality, Macarena Santelices, by President Sebastián
COVID-19 and economics: Disasters, corruption, more profits
US stocks surge as NYSE trading floor reopens – Al Jazeera Latin America’s Virus Villains: Corrupt Officials Collude With Price Gougers for Body Bags and
Anti-racism and anti-fascism protests: news and analysis
English Black Lives Matter The Souls of White Folk – Verso Books Illiberal Racisms, Extremism and the Discursive Reconstruction of the Far Right – Verso
Contradictory contestations: anti-lockdown protests
English Germany Politicians worry about radicalization at anti-lockdown protests – Deutsche Welle US Tea Party 2.0: What the Reopen Protest have in common with the

Hungary and coronavirus: authoritarianism (April and May update)
Hungary Hungary rolls back legal protections, puts trans and intersex people at risk – Ilga Europe Hungary votes to end legal recognition of trans people
Nicaragua: A Pandemic Carnival
“Amor en los tiempos del covid-19” march, organized by the government. Photo: EFE. Nicaragua and the dance of horrors in the struggle against COVID 19

COVID-19, politics and authoritarianism: compilation (March – June)
MAY / JUNE Hunger, infection and repression: Venezuela’s coronavirus calamity – New Yorker Contact-Tracing Apps: No Substitute for Public Healthcare Interventions – Bot Populi Spread

2019 European election: news and analisys
The Resentful and the Damned – Jacobin The Dangers of Detoxification – Jacobin Nigel Farage’s Populist Brexit Party Wins Big in European Parliament Elections –
In defense of Jacqueline Pitanguy
On December 3rd, sociologist Jacqueline Pitanguy became the target of a serious accusation by the Brazilian Minister of Family Women and Human Rights, Damares Alves,
The 2019 election in Uruguay: a new relation of forces
By Santiago Puyol* The elections held in Uruguay on Sunday, October 27th, represented the greatest news for the Uruguayan political system fifteen years after the
Chile Uprising: A Call for Dignity
By Jaime Barrientos, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Chile, and Manuel Cárdenas, Escuela de Psicología, Universidad Valparaíso, Chile. In Chile, at the beginning of
Interview with Judith Butler: Knowledge against fear
Why there is no such concept as a “gender ideology”? And whose interests does it serve to? There is no ideology of gender, for that
Uproar and Perversity: Gender and Sexuality in the Vortex of Politics
By Sonia Corrêa A few days before completing the symbolic mark of Jair Messias Bolsonaro’s – or JMB’s – first 100 days of government, consecrated
Permanent War, Decreasing Popularity: What Will Come Next?
By Fábio Grotz A continuous state of war driven by the government is what drives the speech and activities of actors engaged in the redemptive

Europe elections 2019: a compilation of articles
Euro-election results 2019: a wake-up call to traditional parties – openDemocracy The path to electoral victory in Salvini’s Italy: Open opposition to the pope –
Sonia Corrêa on “Gender Ideology” for 2019 CREA Conference
Part I Part II
JOINT NOTE REPUDIATING BRAZIL’S PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF EDUCATION’S DECLARATIONS ON PHILOSOPHY AND SOCIOLOGY
The National Association of Postgraduate Studies in Philosophy (ANPOF) and associations hereby signed vehemently repudiate declarations made by the President and the Minister of Education
Articulated Sciences Joint Note on Bolsonaro’s Claim Against Philosophy and Social Sciences
The associations hereby signed manifest their indignation and extreme concern with the recent statements made by the President and Ministry of Education with regard to
In whose interests the Federal University of Alagoas dean and officers are being criminalized?
Recife, 15 March 2019. We are in a political moment marked by setbacks and by obscurantism against universities, which attack their finest traits: critical thinking,
Brazil’s Ministry of Education creates a commission to monitor national SATs
The Ministry of Education (MEC) created on Wednesday (March 20th) a three-person commission to assess the national exam whose scores are used to get in
Brazilian presidential election: a perfect catastrophe?
By Sonia Corrêa Time to mourn Politics is both reasoning and affect. This is how the first version of this essay, written in the immediate aftermath

Brazilian president and the ‘golden shower’
The President and the Golden Shower – New York Times Bolsonaro Tweets Explicit Video To Criticize Brazilian Carnaval – Folha de São Paulo Brazil’s Bolsonaro

Bolsonaro’s Brazil
The teratology of the contemporary political imagination – plentiful enough: Trump, Le Pen, Salvini, Orbán, Kaczyński, ogres galore – has acquired a new monster. Rising above

Brazil: setbacks in the wake of 2019’s new administration
SPW has compiled news, articles and assessments on the first two months of Brazilian far-right new administration and its setbacks and worrying moves, in various fronts such as Education, Foreign Affairs, Health, Human Rights and corruption scandals.

Brazil: Education and gender under attack
A specter of Dictatorship in Brazil – NACLA Brazil’s election of far-right Bolsonaro leaves researchers reeling – Chemistry World Bolsonaro poses a serious threat to
Bodies and words performing in somber times
In a time of mourning, processing and making our best to re-exist in the glooming post-electoral atmosphere in Brazil, SPW brings back to our screens

Hungary ban on Gender Studies: a compilation of protest letters
Statement of the German Sociological Association We are not an empty line – Statement from the University of Gothenburg faculty Statement from ELTE CEU Reiterates
Nicaragua: The violent Ortega administration
Español Articles in the news Informe preliminar CIDH, documenta el uso desproporcionado de la fuerza durante las manifestaciones de abril 2018, en Nicaragua – Iniciativa Mesoamericana

Anti-Gender Campaigns in Europe: Mobilizing against Equality
SPW has the pleasure to announce the recently published book Anti-Gender Campaigns in Europe: Mobilizing against Equality, edited by Roman Kuhar and David Paternotte. Description

American Nightmare: Neoliberalism, Neoconservatism, and De-Democratization
Wendy Brown University of California, Berkeley Neoliberalism and neoconservatism are two distinct political rationalities in the contemporary United States. They have few overlapping formal characteristics,
Academic freedom under threat: a workshop on LGBT Asylum is censored at the University of Verona
In Italy too, academic freedom is under threat, and democracy along with it. Barely has the extreme right assumed power that its effects are already
Marielle present!
Papers and articles Just as U.S. Media Does With MLK, Brazil’s Media Is Trying to Whitewash and Exploit Marielle Franco’s Political Radicalism – The Intercept
Bowling for Parkland: US gun control debate sparked
On Wednesday, February 14, Parkland suffered a violent episode of mass shooting at the Stoneman Douglas High School depicted by 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, who was

Brazilian political crises in May 2018: news and analysis
Operation Car Wash: Is this the biggest corruption scandal in history? – The Guardian The Guardian view on Brazilian corruption: the public deserve a voice

Reflections on Trump, by Judith Butler
My own sense is that Trump unleashed a rage that has several objects and several causes, and we should probably be skeptical of those who claim to know the true cause and the exclusive object. The condition of economic devastation and disappointment, the loss of hope in the face of an economic future brought on by economic

Gender Politics and Authoritarian Regime
The question of whether and how authoritarian regimes may use gender politics to preserve their rule has attracted insufficient academic attention so far. Research on state feminism shows that non‐democratic regimes often enact women‐friendly policies for the purpose of maintaining power. However, this finding has not been linked to the broader research on authoritarian resilience.

Articles and analysis on the burkini ban in French Riviera
Burkini beach row puts French values to test – BBC Cannes ‘burkini’ ban: What do Muslim women think? – BBC Rights group to take action after Cannes

Why most Syrian men are not joining ISIS
In discussions around why young Syrian men join armed groups (such as ISIS or Jabhat al-Nusra) in Syria, it often boils down to two main theories: that of sectarianism, the ancient, seemingly perpetual divide between Sunni and Shia Muslims, or that of Islam being a ‘religion of violence’.

Feminist Activist and Woman Human Rights Defender Mozn Hassan Banned from Travel
The Passport Administration at Cairo International Airport banned this morning feminist activist and woman human rights defender (WHRD) Mozn Hassan from traveling during completion of her departure procedures from Cairo to Beirut, and she was informed verbally that the travel ban had been issued by the Egyptian General Prosecutor based on the request of the investigative judge.

An unamed letter from Bangladesh regarding the murders of LGBT activists
SPW shares an unnamed letter written by Bangladesh activist after the murders of LGBT activists in the Asian country in the past weeks. The letter

The sexual politics in March and early April 2016
We have the great pleasure to inform that our Spanish page has been re-launched. In this opportunity Alejandra Sardá from Akahatá has written an update

Egypt: Unprecedented crackdown on NGOs
In recent weeks, the Egyptian authorities have summoned human rights workers for questioning, banned them from travel and attempted to freeze their personal funds and

The Voice of Libyan Women: A progressive voice amid violence and insecurity
Women were at the forefront of the pro-democracy protests in Libya in 2011, which, after escalating into civil war, culminated in the ousting of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. But in the years that have followed, as state institutions have crumbled and insecurity prevails, women have struggled to have their voices heard.

Palestine’s Abortion Problem
Around 40 percent of women in the West Bank have had abortions, though the procedure remains illegal in Palestine. So guess where they go.

In The Virile God’s Graveyard
(I had spent a week in Gujarat in February-March,2007 and published two reports in TEHELKA. Reproducing the first part to remind myself that it was
Fundamentalists Ramp Up Attacks on Human Rights Group in El Salvador
By Kathy Bougher September 2, 2014 – 7:24 pm Fundamentalist groups in El Salvador have escalated their media attacks against the “Freedom for the 17”

Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning, the New Dissidents?
Read the article “Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning, the New Dissidents?” about United States machinery that satisfies certain tendencies that are in the genetic code

“Manning has initiated a rare moment of opportunity that makes mainstream silence a bit more difficult”, by Zillah Eisenstein
Read feminist Zillah Eisenstein’s article about the Manning case. “Manning has initiated a rare moment of opportunity that makes mainstream silence a bit more difficult”.














































